BJP questions AAP govt if Delhi Covid death tally is 'fudged'; seeks 'white paper'

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 3   

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on Thursday has demanded a “white paper” from Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government regarding Covid-19 issues related in Delhi.

Apart from this, the  BJP has questioned whether the number of deaths has been “fudged” to keep down their official death tally.

Questioning the reason behind the high death rate in the National Capital during the second wave of the pandemic, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Kejriwal of “hiding the real figures”.

The BJP spokesperson said that the municipal corporations in Delhi has issued 34,750 death certificates for April and May whereas the official Covid tally period was 13,201.

He added that the number of death certificates issued, during the corresponding period, last year was 9,916, an increase of 250%.

April and May saw the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.

“Who are these people as Delhi government does not want to even name…Did you fudge death numbers,” said the BJP spokesperson, asking the Delhi government to issue a “white paper”.

The BJP spokesperson wondered why Delhi recorded over 14.25 lakh Covid cases when a bigger state like Haryana recorded 7.55 lakh cases. Patra said that now, Kejriwal claims his government is preparing for the third wave, but people have no faith in him.

The BJP spokesperson also questioned if Covid testing was kept “deliberately low” when the pandemic was at its peak during April-May to “protect” the image of the AAP government.

“ Why no new hospital was opened in the city during 2015-19,” he said, terming as “ignorant and insensitive” Delhi minister Gopal Rai’s reported comments about planting trees to avoid oxygen crisis.